IPAN Patrons: Emeritus Professor Ian Lowe AO & Kellie Tranter
Independent and Peaceful Australia Network (IPAN)
MEDIA RELEASE 20 February 2026
This coming weekend, a powerful wave of global dissent will sweep across the world, with Australia poised at its forefront. Coordinated by World BEYOND War, the Global Days of Action Protesting Military Bases (#CloseBases) will see communities rise up to demand an end to the hidden devastation wrought by military installations.
The Independent and Peaceful Australia Network (IPAN) proudly supports these actions, amplifying the urgent call to expose the massive, yet deliberately obscured, problems associated with military bases worldwide.
Across the country Australia is set to witness several significant events and actions that underscore the nation’s commitment to peace and sovereignty, with actions taking place in Brisbane, Canberra, Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Fremantle and Alice Springs.
The global days of action to close bases marks the day the USA took over Guantanamo Bay from Cuba in 1903, starting the modern era of overseas military bases as a key tool of expansionism and empire building. Actions are designed to draw local and global attention to the environmental and social harms of overseas military bases.
This year, there are new pressing reasons for action. The United States has used its bases in Latin America and the Caribbean to attack Venezuela, while threatening to take over Greenland to build more bases there. Iran is bordered by seven nations with U.S. bases. The nations to the south and east of China are packed with U.S. bases, as is Europe and Israel. Africa has foreign bases from several empires. Russia is making more use of its bases in Belarus and Australia is further entrenching itself in militarism with the AUKUS deal.
The continued operation of foreign military bases represents a profound threat to our nation’s future and global peace,” declared Ms. Shirley Winton, spokesperson for the Independent and Peaceful Australia Network (IPAN) and a key organiser of the Melbourne event.
‘These bases are not just strategic outposts; they are epicentres of colonialism which erode the sovereignty of First Nations peoples, causing environmental destruction, community disruption and the relentless provocation of war’, Ms Winton said.
The stark realities demanding the immediate closure of these bases are undeniable, as Ms Winton highlights:
Colonialism and Land Rights: ‘Military bases are instruments of dispossession, routinely seizing Indigenous lands without consent or restitution. The tragic displacement of the Chagos Islands population for the Diego Garcia airbase stands as a chilling testament to this injustice.’
Exorbitant Costs: ‘The financial drain is astronomical. U.S. foreign military bases alone squander an estimated $80 billion annually—a staggering sum that could be transformative if redirected to critical public services like healthcare, education, and accelerating our transition to renewable energy.’
Environmental Catastrophe: ‘Far from being benign, military bases are environmental poisons. They are massive contributors to the climate crisis and relentlessly contaminate local water sources with toxic “forever chemicals” (PFAS/PFOS), leaving a legacy of illness and ecological ruin.’
Devastating Community Impact: ‘Beyond the environmental devastation, these bases wreak havoc on local communities. They artificially inflate property taxes, destabilise economies, and are tragically linked to a notorious pattern of sexual violence, with military personnel often shielded by Status of Forces Agreements (SOFAs), undermining justice and accountability.’
Provoking Endless War: ‘The illusion of security they offer is a dangerous fallacy. The sheer presence of vast arsenals and troops at these bases actively fuels conflicts, ignites perilous arms races, and inevitably transforms
host nations into prime targets for devastating attacks.’
‘The sheer scale of global participation this weekend will send an unmistakable message: the physically massive, yet remarkably hidden, problem of military bases can no longer be ignored,’ asserted David Swanson, Executive Director of World BEYOND War, a driving force behind this monumental day of action.
Reports from actions and events will be available at https://worldbeyondwar.org/closebases/.
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Media Interviews: Shirley Winton 0417 456 001
Media Liaison: Jonathan Pilbrow 0403 611 815
See also below for media contacts for each event being held
Bio: Shirley Winton is a long-time unionist and a peace activist since the 1960s. Shirley is a former organiser with the CWU and NTEU, Victoria and a member of the Independent and Peaceful Australia Network (IPAN) having served on the national IPAN Coordinating Committee from 2012 for over a decade. Shirley is also a member of No AUKUS Vic and the Australian Anti AUKUS Coalition (AAAC).
Details of events happening across Australia are detailed here and visible on this map and here below:
Brisbane
No Foreign Military Bases in Australia
Date & Time: Saturday 21 February, 4:30 to 6:00pm
Location: King George Square, 100 Adelaide St, Brisbane
Host group: Just Peace QLD Inc.
Media contact: Maureen Todhunter, Just Peace Qld, M: 0401 396 459 E: maureentodhunter@gmail.com
Sydney
No to AUKUS No War against China
Date & Time: Saturday 21 February, 1:00 pm
Location: Garden Island Naval Base, corner Cowper Wharf Rd and Wylde St, Woolloomooloo (Sydney)
Host group: Sydney Anti AUKUS Coalition (SAAC)
Media contact: Denis Doherty, SAAC, M: 0418 290 663 E: denisdoherty@denisdoherty.org
Canberra
Banner Drop Global Day of Action to Close Foreign Military Bases and Stop AUKUS
Date & Time: Friday 20 February, 4:00 – 5:30 pm
Location: North West side of Kings Ave Bridge, Canberra
Host group: IPAN ACT
Media Contact: David Perkins, IPAN ACT, M: 0437 997 611 E: dpgooreen@gmail.com
Melbourne:
Cancel AUKUS – No US military bases
Date & Time: Saturday February 21, 2:00 pm
Location: State Library of Victoria, 328 Swanston Street, CBD, Melbourne
Host group: No AUKUS Vic
Media Contact: Shirley Winton, No AUKUS Vic, M: 0417 456 001 E: noaukusvic@gmail.com
Adelaide
Day of Action: Kaurna Yerta/Adelaide
Saturday 21 February, 11:00 am
Location: Edinburgh Air Force Base, Edinburgh Rd, Edinburgh, Meet at McDonalds Car Park, Elizabeth Train Stn
Host group: IPAN SA and Disrupt Arms Traders
Media Contact: Derek Burke, IPAN SA, M: 0412 652 227 E: derburau@gmail.com
Fremantle
Cut ties with the US War Machine – Cancel AUKUS- Close US Bases – Cancel the FPA
Sunday 22 February, 9:00 am
Location: Rockingham Lookout + HMAS Stirling, Peron Road, Peron, Rockingham
Host group: Stop AUKUS WA
Media Contact Leonie Lundy, Stop AUKUS WA, M: 0439 475 174 E: stopaukuswa@gmail.com
Alice Springs
Global Day of Peace, Banner Drop, Mparntwe/Alice Springs
Monday 23 February, 8:00 am,
Location: The intersection of the Stuart Hwy and Larapinta Drive, Mparntwe/Alice Springs
Host group: Mparntwe for Falastin
Media Contact Jorgen Doyle, Mparntwe for Falastin, M: 0487 095 6804 E: jorgporg66@gmail.com
For more information on the Global Days of Action to #CloseBases, see https://worldbeyondwar.org/closebases/ Contact: David Swanson, Executive Director of World BEYOND War: david@worldbeyondwar.org
ENDS